Lumbar Spine & Low Back Pain

Effectiveness and Economic Evaluation of Chiropractic Care for the Treatment of Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review of Pragmatic Studies

PLoS One. 2016; 11(8): e0160037. Published online 2016 Aug 3. doi:  10.1371/journal.pone.0160037 PMCID: PMC4972425 Abstract Background Context Low back pain (LBP) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and among the most common reasons for seeking primary sector care. Chiropractors, physical therapists and general practitioners are among those providers that treat LBP patients, […]

What’s the Best Mattress for Back Pain?

Laird Harrison DISCLOSURES July 27, 2016 Issues of Spinal Curvature and Pressure Researchers at the Korea Research Institute of Standard and Science in Yuseong, South Korea, got closer to an answer. They measured study participants’ spinal curvature and pressure on different mattresses, then asked the subjects to evaluate the mattresses. They found that the participants […]

Inequality in leg length is important for the understanding of the pathophysiology of lumbar disc herniation

J Craniovertebr Junction Spine. 2016 Apr-Jun; 7(2): 87–90. doi:  10.4103/0974-8237.181829 PMCID: PMC4872568 Mehmet Sabri Balik, Ayhan Kanat,1 Adem Erkut, Bulent Ozdemir,1 and Osman Ersagun Batcik1 Author information ► Copyright and License information ► Abstract Objective: Inequality in leg length may lead to to abnormal transmission of load across the endplates and degeneration lumbar spine and […]

Kinesio Taping Does Not Provide Additional Benefits in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain Who Receive Exercise and Manual Therapy

Kinesio Taping Does Not Provide Additional Benefits in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain Who Receive Exercise and Manual Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial Authors: Marco Aurélio Nemitalla Study Design Randomized controlled trial. Background Many clinical practice guidelines endorse both manual therapy and exercise as effective treatment options for patients with low back pain. To […]

Effects of opioid analgesics for low back pain

JAMA Internal Medicine, 05/27/2016 Shaheed CA, et al. In this research, the researchers aimed tp assess efficacy and tolerability of opioids in the management of back pain; and investigate the effect of opioid dose and use of an enrichment study design on treatment effect. For people with chronic low back pain who tolerate the medicine, […]

Controlled Trial Comparing the McKenzie Method to Motor Control Exercises in People With Chronic Low Back Pain and a Directional Preference

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the McKenzie Method to Motor Control Exercises in People With Chronic Low Back Pain and a Directional Preference Authors: Mark H. Halliday, PT Study Design Randomized clinical trial. Background Motor control exercises are believed to improve co-ordination of the trunk muscles. It is unclear if increases in trunk muscle thickness […]

Patients with sciatica still experience pain and disability 5 years after surgery: A systematic review with meta-analysis of cohort studies

European Journal of Pain Volume 20, Issue 10 November 2016 Pages 1700–1709 G.C. Machad First published: 12 May 2016 Abstract Background and objective The clinical course of patients with sciatica is believed to be favourable, but there is conflicting evidence on the postoperative course of this condition. We aimed to investigate the clinical course of […]

Resolution of Lumbar Disk Herniation without Surgery

Jennifer Hong, M.D., and Perry A. Ball, M.D. N Engl J Med 2016; 374:1564 April 21, 2016 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMicm1511194 A 29-year-old woman presented to the spine clinic with new-onset pain in her right leg, accompanied by paresthesia. There were no bowel or bladder symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine revealed a lumbar disk herniation […]

Exploring the Definition of Acute Low Back Pain – Early Chiropractic Care Better Than Later

J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2016 Mar 28. pii: S0161-4754(16)00052-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2016.02.005. [Epub ahead of print] Exploring the Definition of Acute Low Back Pain: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study Comparing Outcomes of Chiropractic Patients With 0-2, 2-4, and 4-12 Weeks of Symptoms. Mantel KE, Peterson CK, Humphreys BK. Abstract OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was […]

Exercise Prescriptions for Chronic Conditions: A How-to Guide – Full Text Article

Diana Phillips March 22, 2016 Exercise can be an effective component of treatment for many chronic conditions from knee osteoarthritis to type 2 diabetes, but physicians must be aware of the details of evidence-based interventions for the specific condition to properly prescribe it for their patients, according to a multidisciplinary review and how-to guide published […]

Use of mindfulness-based stress reduction for chronic low back pain

Date: March 22, 2016 Source: The JAMA Network Journals Summary: Among adults with chronic low back pain, both mindfulness-based stress reduction and cognitive behavioral therapy resulted in greater improvement in back pain and functional limitations when compared with usual care, according to a study. Among adults with chronic low back pain, both mindfulness-based stress reduction […]

Mind-Body Therapy Bests Usual Care for Back Pain

03.22.2016 Stress reduction, CBT led to greater improvement in pain, functional limits by Kristina Fiore Associate Editor, MedPage Today Two psychosocial approaches worked better than usual care for mitigating disability in chronic low back pain, researchers found. In a randomized controlled trial, both mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) improved function (P=0.04) […]

What level of pain are patients happy to live with after surgery for lumbar degenerative disorders?

The Spine Journal Volume 16, Issue 4, Supplement, April 2016, Pages S12–S18 Proceedings of the 2016 BritSpine Biennial Scientific Congress of the United Kingdom Spine Societies Tamas F. Fekete, MD, Daniel Haschtmann, MD, Frank S. Kleinstück, MD, François Porchet, MD, Dezsö Jeszenszky, MD, PhD, Anne F. Mannion, PhD Abstract Background Context A new approach to […]

Importance of psychological factors for the recovery from a first episode of acute non-specific neck pain

Importance of psychological factors for the recovery from a first episode of acute non-specific neck pain – a longitudinal observational study Brigitte Wirth, B. Kim Humphreys and Cynthia Peterson Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2016 24:9 Abstract Background The influence of psychological factors on acute neck pain is sparsely studied. In a secondary analysis of prospectively […]

Effect of education on non-specific neck and low back pain: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Manual Therapy Volume 4, Issue 3, March 25, 2016 Kantheera Ainpradub Highlights •Education is recommended as an important component of neck and low back pain care. •This study reviewed the effectiveness of education for neck and low back pain care. •Education was ineffective in preventing neck pain and treating neck and low back pain. •Evidence […]

Estimating the Risk of Chronic Pain: Development and Validation of a Prognostic Model (PICKUP) for Patients with Acute Low Back Pain

Adrian C. Traeger Abstract Background Low back pain (LBP) is a major health problem. Globally it is responsible for the most years lived with disability. The most problematic type of LBP is chronic LBP (pain lasting longer than 3 mo); it has a poor prognosis and is costly, and interventions are only moderately effective. Targeting […]

Mindfulness meditation provides opioid-free pain relief, study finds

Date: March 15, 2016 Source: Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Summary: Everyone knows that stubbing your toe hurts. What makes it stop hurting is the body’s main pain-blocking process — the natural production of opioids. Everyone knows that stubbing your toe hurts. What makes it stop hurting is the body’s main pain-blocking process — the […]

Association Between the Plasma Levels of Mediators of Inflammation With Pain and Disability in the Elderly With Acute Low Back Pain: Data From the Back Complaints in the Elders (BACE)-Brazil Study

Spine: February 2016 – Volume 41 – Issue 3 – p 197–203 doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000001214 de Queiroz, Bárbara Zille PhD Abstract Study Design. Cross-sectional study with subsample of elderly women with acute low back pain (LBP), from Back Complaints in the Elders-Brazil (BACE-Brazil) Objective. To investigate the association between plasma levels of mediators of inflammation (interleukin-1 […]

Targeting Patient Subgroups With Chronic Low Back Pain for Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment

J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2016 Mar 1;116(3):156-68. doi: 10.7556/jaoa.2016.032. Targeting Patient Subgroups With Chronic Low Back Pain for Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment: Responder Analyses From a Randomized Controlled Trial. Licciardone JC, Gatchel RJ, Aryal S. Abstract CONTEXT: Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is often used to treat patients with low back pain (LBP). OBJECTIVE: To identify subgroups […]

The Association Between Use of Chiropractic Care and Costs of Care Among Older Medicare Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain and Multiple Comorbidities

JMPT February 2016 Volume 39, Issue 2, Pages 63–75.e2 William B Weeks, MD, PhD, MBA Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether use of chiropractic manipulative treatment (CMT) was associated with lower healthcare costs among multiply-comorbid Medicare beneficiaries with an episode of chronic low back pain (cLBP). Methods We conducted an […]